House within 25m of historic landfill site

[Inapicklee]

We have had our searches back and it’s shown that the property we are looking to purchase is showing as high risk of contamination due to being within 25m of a historic landfill site.

It’s semi-rural; there is a housing estate very close to the other side of the historic site.

Our solicitors are requesting more information but in the meantime… Do we really need to be worried?

My uneducated research has located the landfill site in question and from the data I can find, it’s not been in use since pre 1970.

This is an absolute dream property for us - based on the age of the landfill and the other property; surely any contamination risk will have been dealt with, or there’s hundreds of people at risk?!

Do you know what type of landfill it is? It could be anything from household rubbish to hardcore..

The information I’ve found doesn’t say. Most of the info boxes are blank and it says firstinput: 1970 lastoutput: 1970 which would suggest it’s so historic they don’t have the accurate data.

You’ll struggle to resell later on so I wouldn’t bother buying it if I were you.

On the plus side, no one will be building on it. I reckon it will be ok if there’s been no issues for 50 years.
These things are fine if left undisturbed. Would be better to see what the local archives/news says from then though.

I'd be poking around for more local knowledge, is it near any industries which could have been dumping asbestos, heavy metals, diseased animals?

If its left alone its generally fine, I'd more more wary if it was a new housing estate abutting the landfill as that could disturb whatever is buried. I'd also be wary if I was a keen gardener.

There should be a council contaminated land survey, so you could contact the council direct and see if they know.

Whats the lie of the land? Are you uphill from it or downhill? It's the leachate that I would be concerned about if you're downhill from it. Uphill, no issue.

I'm 25m uphill from landfill and the houses here are popular and sell quickly, even those closest.

Hmm. If there's a housing estate on the other side of the landfill site, you wouldn't think the contamination issue would be that bad.

There are companies that will test soil samples for contaminants such as heavy metals. They give you detailed instructions for collecting samples - you would obviously need the seller's permission to go in and remove some soil, but it doesn't really leave a mess. Alternatively, the companies will send somebody out to do the sampling for you (which is more expensive). You choose which contaminants you'd like them to test for - there's a huge menu, and the more you choose the more it will cost, but there a certain "marker" contaminants that are always found if other contaminants are present, so if you make sure you test for the "markers", if they are negative then you can be confident the related compounds are absent too.

Does your house pre-date the landfill or has it been built since the site closed?

If it turns out that contamination is present, your decision will be driven in part by what the contaminants are, and your family circumstances (small children, a desire to grow your own fruit and veg etc). Perhaps replacing the topsoil of part of the garden would be a solution?

I should think that the council or land registry could tell you.

Have you checked old OS maps to see when the landfill first appears? You can use this side-by-side checker:

maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/side-by-side/#zoom=15.8&lat=51.45442&lon=-2.61106&layers=1&right=BingHyb

How new is the other housing estate? If it’s fairly recent then search the Council planning for it to find the site investigation report, as that will give you an idea of ground conditions, any risks identified etc.

Thank you all, some very helpful advice!
My solicitor is doing further enquiries but not entirely sure what that involves.

I will look into the soil testing - it’s a small holding and I will be grazing horses on it. Current vendor has been doing so for 20 years with no apparent issues but that is probably my biggest concern re the contamination so that is a very good idea.

We are significantly uphill from it and the housing estate is downhill from it but some of my land is adjacent or possibly even on it (hard to tell from the site map).

The house significantly predates landfill (over 300 years old).

I’m not remotely concerned about the resell struggles as this is a long term, if not ‘forever’ house which ticks all my boxes. Although that may explain why it’s cheaper than many similar properties (which is why we can afford it!) Additionally, it’s got excellent equestrian facilities at an affordable price so assuming it is safe, I’m sure someone would want it.

Its in West Yorkshire and some of the other local historic landfills were quarry but it says nothing to suggest that’s what this was - not sure if that is good or bad!

If it’s an old landfill (pre 1950s) it will most likely be inert as little or no organic waste went to landfill and much of the waste comprised ash and clinker. So no methane issues in this type of case.

I also wouldn’t be overly concerned about soil contamination in the pasture, topsoil wouldn’t be affected by leachate from
this type of old landfill.

I walked away from a house for precisely this reason. I had an expert survey commissioned, and they told me that the landfill site had been notoriously badly managed, and that leaching was to be expected.

They also told me that as they run out of landfill sites elsewhere, historic landfills are an obvious place to reopen and refill (as they settle over time and more room is made available).

There is also a correlation between birth defects and proximity to landfills (I didn't have children yet at the time so that concerned me).

Wasn't worth it for me, however I don't regret having done the detailed surveys, otherwise I would always have wondered. They cost a bomb though.

Thank you.
I’ve been researching and on the 2021 report it says this site wasn’t being considered to be reopened as the license has expired and it’s too small (0.36 hectares)

D’oh posted too soon. So hopefully it wouldn’t be considered for reopening.

I’ve contacted a contamination assessment company for a quote and asked my solicitor what they’re actually doing in response but obviously won’t hear anything for a couple of weeks!

How old is the housing estate on the other side of the site? Can you track down the ground investigation reports for it?

@WarningToTheCurious how do I find out the age? Do I need to request land registry stuff?

From Google street view, it’s definitely not a newbuild estate but that’s not very accurate 😁

Although I had a look at those historic maps and the roads the estate are on predate 1900 but unsure whether the houses would of been there then..

Another issue with old landfills is the production of methane, CO2 and other noxious and/or explosive gases. These are largely problematic when they accumulate is tightly sealed, non-draughty new build houses, which would then need additional venting or gas membranes.

To find out the details if landfill age, contents etc

[email protected]

You'll need the address of the landfill, and ideally, the grid ref.

You can also download an Excel spreadsheet of historic landfill sites from the Environment Agency, and you may get lucky and find something useful:

environment.data.gov.uk/portalstg/home/item.html?id=96b2530df5414e1c8ec4b679c12474d6#

Hey, I am in the same position as you the house is within 25m of an old landfill. The local council say there’s no contaminated land within the borough. And the out landfill site has been re-created into a wildlife type park. Did you get your house I’m worried the mortgage company may so no to us but I don’t see why not as it was build just outside its boarders

We did get our house.

The mortgage company didn’t ever raise any concerns but we had soil testing done as my main concern was we have horses grazing on it. This was all fine. It cost about £700 but gave us peace of mind.

Since moving in, we’ve found out the historic landfill related to them using old rubble to reduce the steepness of a hill and built a track on it.

So glad it's all worked out for you! Hope your horses are enjoying the new facilities!